Cambridge University raps Namibian teachers’ union

THE Teachers’ Union of Namibia (TUN) has apologised for remarks it made against the Cambridge Education System at a recent press conference in Windhoek.

Following the January 19 press conference which resulted in articles in The Namibian, The New Era and Die Republikein, the teachers’ union received a letter from Chris Brandt Attorneys in the capital, threatening them with legal action on behalf of the attorneys’ client, the University of Cambridge International Examinations of the United Kingdom. The letter states that TUN falsely attacked the University of Cambridge and the Cambridge education system in use in Namibia.It ordered the union to apologise for any false information it gave regarding the institution or the educational system.”Our client has never complained of fair and reasonable criticism,” the law firm stated, “but to such wrongful language and accusations as this it cannot submit.”The union’s deputy president, Chanville Mackrill, charged at the press conference that “the Cambridge education system was thrown out of Britain, its birthplace, and was dumped onto Namibia”.The union this week apologised for this statement, saying that the university had pointed out to them that this information was in fact wrong.”The University of Cambridge International Examinations has pointed out that this information is untrue and incorrect,” the union said, “because GCSE and IGCSE have been offered on an uninterrupted and wide scale in the UK and internationally since 1988.”For example, there were about five million GCSE subject entries in the UK last summer and more than 4 000 schools worldwide are registered with Cambridge or offer IGCSE,” TUN said in the statement.”Furthermore, IGCSE is the most widely taken international school qualification in the world and the entries are still growing, for example by 10 per cent in 2005.”Therefore the Teachers’ Union of Namibia unconditionally withdraws the inaccurate and wrong information they have conveyed to the media and the general public about the Cambridge system,” the union concluded.The letter states that TUN falsely attacked the University of Cambridge and the Cambridge education system in use in Namibia.It ordered the union to apologise for any false information it gave regarding the institution or the educational system.”Our client has never complained of fair and reasonable criticism,” the law firm stated, “but to such wrongful language and accusations as this it cannot submit.”The union’s deputy president, Chanville Mackrill, charged at the press conference that “the Cambridge education system was thrown out of Britain, its birthplace, and was dumped onto Namibia”.The union this week apologised for this statement, saying that the university had pointed out to them that this information was in fact wrong.”The University of Cambridge International Examinations has pointed out that this information is untrue and incorrect,” the union said, “because GCSE and IGCSE have been offered on an uninterrupted and wide scale in the UK and internationally since 1988. “For example, there were about five million GCSE subject entries in the UK last summer and more than 4 000 schools worldwide are registered with Cambridge or offer IGCSE,” TUN said in the statement. “Furthermore, IGCSE is the most widely taken international school qualification in the world and the entries are still growing, for example by 10 per cent in 2005.”Therefore the Teachers’ Union of Namibia unconditionally withdraws the inaccurate and wrong information they have conveyed to the media and the general public about the Cambridge system,” the union concluded.